Roki Sasaki’s Secret Weapon: How the Dodgers’ Unexpected Closer is Shutting Down the Postseason with Unstoppable Precision
Jason Isringhausen had been the Cardinals’ closer since 2002 and had 33 saves in 2006 when a hip injury ended his season in early September. The Cardinals faded down the stretch, winning just nine of their final 23 games. Wainwright picked up the only two saves in that stretch, both in the last week of the season.
The righty with the big curveball was dominant in the postseason. He closed out all three of the Cardinals’ wins in the division series against the San Diego Padres and picked up a pair of saves against the mighty New York Mets in the NLCS. The curveball that froze Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded to end Game 7 — after St. Louis had scored twice in the top of the ninth to take a 3-1 lead — is an iconic moment for both the Cardinals and the Mets, in much different ways.



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